Birds to See in Belfast in December
70 species listed for December · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
70 bird species on our list for Belfast are recorded regularly in December. Of these, the most often recorded are Black-headed Gull, Magpie, Hooded Crow, European Herring Gull and European Robin. New this month: Eurasian Siskin, Gadwall, Mistle Thrush and Eurasian Collared Dove and 5 more.
New in December9
Leaving after last month4
Residents
(41)Recorded all year
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Recorded all year
Magpie
Pica picaLC
Recorded all year
Hooded Crow
Corvus cornixLC
Recorded all year
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
Recorded all year
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
Recorded all year
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
Recorded all year
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
Recorded all year
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
Recorded all year
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleusLC
Recorded all year
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
Recorded all year
Pied Wagtail
Motacilla albaLC
Recorded all year
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Recorded all year
Jackdaw
Coloeus monedulaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
Recorded all year
Great Tit
Parus majorLC
Recorded all year
Long-tailed Tit
Aegithalos caudatusLC
Regularly May–Mar
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
Recorded all year
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Regularly Apr–Feb
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
Recorded all year
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Recorded all year
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
Regularly Apr–Feb
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
Regularly Dec–Feb
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
Recorded all year
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Recorded all year
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Greenfinch
Chloris chlorisLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
Recorded all year
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
Recorded all year
Eider
Somateria mollissimaNT
Recorded all year
Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatusLC
Regularly May–Jan
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Recorded all year
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
Recorded all year
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Regularly Nov–Sep
European Shag
Gulosus aristotelisLC
Regularly Jun–Dec
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
Regularly Apr–Dec
Treecreeper
Certhia familiarisLC
Regularly Jun–Dec
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
Regularly Apr–Jan
Summer visitors
(13)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Coal Tit
Periparus aterLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Mistle Thrush
Turdus viscivorusLC
Regularly Dec–Jul
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
Regularly Nov–Jul
Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaLC
Regularly Oct–Jul
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
Regularly Apr–Jan
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Recorded all year
Black Guillemot
Cepphus grylleLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Linnet
Linaria cannabinaLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Regularly Dec–Sep
Winter visitors
(9)Present outside the breeding season
Rook
Corvus frugilegusLC
Recorded all year
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Regularly Jun–Apr
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Regularly Jul–May
Eurasian Teal
Anas creccaLC
Regularly Jun–Apr
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
Regularly Aug–Apr
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Brent Goose
Branta berniclaLC
Regularly Sep–May
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Regularly Jul–Mar
Red Knot
Calidris canutusNT
Regularly Aug–Feb
Passage migrants
(6)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
Regularly Jul–Apr
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serratorLC
Regularly Sep–Apr
Redwing
Turdus iliacusNT
Regularly Nov–Feb
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
Regularly Aug–Apr
Goldeneye
Bucephala clangulaLC
Regularly Dec–Feb
Fieldfare
Turdus pilarisLC
Regularly Dec
Scarce visitors
(1)Recorded in some years but not every year
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made